Follow me as I train to run the New York City marathon on November 1, 2009!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Neti Pot Love

good morning- or should i say afternoon (already?)! i'm happy to say i'm feeling much better today than yesterday.

i'm definitely still congested, but i'm hoping to get lots of rest tomorrow, so i'll be in tip-top shape for saturday's race!

i think my fears of swine have been put at bay, since last time i took my temp it was actually an un-fever! it was a whopping 97.3. i wonder if a low temp is also bad like a high temp?

in any case, my main concern about being sick was that you really aren't supposed to take any cold medication 48 hours prior to a race. luckily my friend, who suffers from bad allergies, recommended a natural way for me to relieve my nasal congestion, and hopefully prevent a sinus infection. enter: the neti pot!

upon first mention, the neti pot seemed to me like some weird freakish thing, kind of like ear candling- frea-ky!! but, after thinking about it more, it really makes sense.

the neti pot is basically a tea pot-like pot, which comes with packets of sodium chloride. to use it, you mix 1 packet of the sodium chloride with 8 oz. of luke warm water inside the pot. then, you tilt your head to the side (be sure to do this over the sink!) and basically just stick the spout up one of your nostrils. the water flows through your nasal cavity and out the other nostril.

so, if you're still reading and not totally grossed out at this point, the neti pot is basically like nasal irrigation. it flushes out your nasal cavity to remove allergens, relieve sinus congestion and pressure, and help you breathe easier.

honestly, it worked like magic! i used it about an hour before bed (they say on the package to wait an hour before bed, so that the solution won't drip down your throat and cause irritation). immediately after using it, my sinuses felt totally clear. soon after that, i did start to feel some congestion, but i was still able to breathe clearly, which i could not do before i used it. i went to sleep an hour later, and was able to breathe, and sleep completely through the night!

i know several allery-sufferers who swear by this pot, and say it really helps immensely. i'm going to continue using for the next few days, and i hope that by saturday morning i'll be at or almost 100 %.